Someone told Donna Dabbs to ‘Get your own film festival.’ That’s how GCUFF was born.

Donna Dabbs was invited to a local film festival years ago when she noticed something was missing.

“I’m like, this is amazing,” she said. “This is the kind of thing that I want to go to. But where are the Black people?!”

The person who invited her was associated with the event. They had this response: “You want Black people, get your own film festival.”

“I wasn’t offended,” Dabbs said. “It ignited something in me.”

That was 18 years ago. Fifteen years ago Dabbs and Alton A. Tinker founded the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival (GCUFF). The two had previously brought people together and hosted successful events as leaders of the Society of Urban Professionals, a networking and professional development organization. (Tinker is no longer with GCUFF.)

GCUFF, which focuses on Black cinema, runs from Sept. 17 to 25. Most of the films will be shown at Atlas Cinemas Shaker Square. They range from shorts, feature-length and international films. They include movies made by local, and often first-time, filmmakers to films that have been screened at major festivals throughout the country. Opening night will be at Karamu House, and the closing night awards ceremony will be at Warrensville Heights High School. (See details about GCUFF events in the box below.)

In an era when watching a movie often means streaming it at home or viewing it on cable television, nothing replaces seeing films on the big screen, said GCUFF board president Shelley Tobias. She added that most of the films that will be shown can only be seen at other festivals or screenings. 

“What makes it different is the community atmosphere around GCUFF,” she said. “It’s the many thought-provoking conversations that happen after the films, even in the lobby. It’s the talkbacks, where you have the ability to speak to a producer or a director and ask them, ‘Hey, what made you do this film this way? Or, you really shot this beautifully.”

Why Donna Dabbs didn’t view ‘get your own’ as an insult

Perhaps Dabbs viewed the “get your own” comment as more of an invitation to action than an insult because it spoke to a longing.

“The goal for me was to create another Black arts institution that had some longevity other than Karamu,” said GCUFF’s executive director. “I love Karamu. I’ve been on their board. But Cleveland needed another Black cultural institution. We don’t see many lasting ones, and I understand why. This is not easy.”

Few can argue that 15 years isn’t a significant milestone for a grassroots cultural organization. GCUFF has weathered much to become a success. Growing pains in going from a one-day film festival to a nine-day one. Internal conflict, which has since been resolved. (“I’ve got this amazing team of support with ideas that we can actually implement,” Dabbs said of the current situation.) And this year, losing at least $40,000 in funding, roughly 10% of the organization’s budget, because of the retrenchment in funding for what is considered to be Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programming.

GCUFF began in 2012 with a $5,000 budget and 800 attendees. Last year, about 3,500 attended the film festival, and Dabbs expects at least that many this year.  The nonprofit organization, which has an annual budget of about $400,000, spends between $200,000 and $250,000 annually putting on the festival.

Both Dabbs and Tinker had spent years in corporate America, which is uncommon for many who start arts organizations. Having business backgrounds has helped keep GCUFF on solid footing, Dabbs said. Tinker has a knack for grant-writing, a skill Dabbs later acquired, she said.

Though Dabbs spent most of her career in corporate management and later ran the Small Business Development Center at the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, she always believed she should have had an arts career.

As a teen growing up in Glenville, she liked seeing films at downtown movie theaters.

“That experience is still with me, understanding what film could do for you – educationally, emotionally – and also entertain you,” she said. 

As a youngster, Dabbs discovered that she has “an emotional response to art, no matter what form it’s in.” She told her mother that she wanted to study art in college. Her mother forbade it, saying that she would never make any money with such a career. Instead, Dabbs studied finance and accounting.

“I wanted to be an artist,” she said. “So now, I get to be an artist in this way.” 

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GCUFF stands up for DEI and loses funding

Being unflappable has contributed to GCUFF reaching its 15th festival.

When the nonprofit discovered that the federally funded grants it had tapped for years were being eliminated or drastically reduced because of the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies, Dabbs knew it was time to pivot. She didn’t like that GCUFF could now only apply for grants by scrubbing all references to such things as focusing on underserved populations or Black communities.

“I’m like, ‘This is entirely racist,” she said. “So, I refused to change my wording to fit.”

GCUFF has managed to make up some of the money through donations and by attracting smaller grants. The nonprofit has also cut back on some expenses, including for ambassadors. These are celebrities who aren’t promoting films but are paid to appear for their star appeal.

“Every day is a leap of faith,” she said of running GCUFF. 

And her faith hasn’t failed her yet. When she became GCUFF’s first part-time executive director in 2019, Dabbs worked at the film festival and kept her Urban League job. Since becoming the full-time director in 2020, she has continued to work as a business consultant on the side.

 “It’s a full-time job with part-time pay,” she said of her GCUFF position, chuckling.

Dabbs became full-time the year the coronavirus pandemic hit. Many film festivals had to cancel before the trend of moving them online took hold. Because GCUFF is held later in the year, Dabbs was able to avoid the pitfalls of other film festivals. CGUFF ended up making money that year, which set it apart from many film festivals, she said.

Not holding an in-person festival ended up being fortuitous. GCUFF was going through a growth spurt and needed more time to make sure things ran more smoothly, Dabbs said.

“It allowed us to breathe is almost how I look at it,” she said.

GCUFF has a tradition of attracting celebrities

Over the years, GCUFF has managed to attract its share of celebrities. They include the actor Leon, who has appeared in such films as the “The Five Heartbeats” and the NBC miniseries “The Temptations.” He will appear again this year at 8:15 p.m. Saturday at Atlas Cinemas Shaker Square, where “WildCards,” the film in which he stars, will be shown. Leon and director Wes Miller will hold a talkback after the screening.

Other celebrities who have appeared at GCUFF include Warrensville Heights High School graduate and actress Yvette Nicole Brown, whose credits include being part of the cast of the NBC sitcom “Community.” Another celebrity is Shaker Heights High School graduate, actress and comedienne Kym Whitley, whose credits include the Fox animated sitcom “The Cleveland Show.” Actress LisaRaye McCoy, whose credits include being part of the cast of the former VH1 series “Single Ladies,” has also appeared at GCUFF.

Emmy Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson, who played NYPD Lt. Anita Van Buren on the NBC police series “Law & Order,” presented her documentary, “The Contradictions of Fair Hope.”  The 2012 film focuses on the evolution of a benevolent society formed in the late 1800s to provide burial assistance and other support for it members.

“It was my favorite festival movie of all time because it was full of every emotion,” Dabbs said. “Joy. Sorrow. Shock. Laughter – just all of the things.”

The festival has more than entertainment value, said Tobias, the board chair. She said events, such as the Filmmakers Breakfast, offer the opportunity for people interested in the film and entertainment industries to network. Over the years, the event has fostered collaborations among filmmakers and helped Greater Cleveland residents get entry-level jobs in film and entertainment, she said.

Willingly letting go of a dream job

Though being executive director of GCUFF in many ways is a dream job for Dabbs, she doesn’t want to keep it forever. 

“I can still contribute in other ways, but part of the evolution of something growing is the willingness to let go and let it grow,” she said.

Dabbs is even planning for her successor. GCUFF is working with a consultant with the goal of strengthening the organization’s internal structures to make for a smooth transition. 

Growing will include finding ways to attract younger people, who have tended to watch movies through streaming or cable, to the film festival. The festival now holds screenings throughout the year, including during Black History Month and Juneteenth. Dabbs, Tobias and others in GCUFF want to see the nonprofit offer even more activities year round.

Tobias wants to see GCUFF grow into a $1 million-plus operation whose film festival will draw people from all over.

“Cleveland is a very big arts community,” she said. “We want GCUFF to be a destination event.”

With the film festival only days aways, thoughts shift to GCUFF15.

“Opening night is always spectacular,” Dabbs said. “When I hear laughter and conversation and people making connections, that just brings joy to my heart.”

But she also dreams of the day when she won’t have to concern herself with the intricacies of making for a successful film festival.

“I just want to go to the movies and have a good time like the rest of them,” Dabbs said.